BOW
BOW (trading as OLO Robotics) is a Sheffield-based developer of a universal, browser-based robotics software platform that lets developers program robots across OEMs using familiar languages and tools. It serves robot hardware manufacturers, individual developers, and academic research teams via a freemium SaaS and OEM licensing model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDaresbury, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BOW does
BOW, operating commercially as OLO Robotics and legally as OLO Robotics Ltd, is a UK-based robotics software company headquartered in Sheffield. It was founded in 2020 and operates with 11-50 employees, raising a £4 million seed round in January 2025 led by Northern Gritstone, with co-investment from Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures. The company has built a universal, browser-based robotics software platform (the OLO Platform) that unifies simulation, visualization, robot control, and scripting into a single web environment, offering native ROS2 access, JavaScript and Python SDKs, an AI-accelerated coding assistant, low-latency teleoperation, live video streaming, autonomous navigation via Nav2, joint control, ROSBag recording, and script orchestration — all without local installation. Alongside the software platform, BOW sells the OLO Appliance, an edge hardware device for AI-powered computer vision processing on robot video feeds.
The company serves three primary customer segments. Robot hardware OEMs form the strategic anchor: OLO is offered as an embedded or white-label platform so OEMs can ship a ready-to-use developer experience alongside their hardware and focus on hardware differentiation. Individual robotics developers and academic research teams are reached through a self-serve, freemium, product-led growth motion via app.olo-robotics.com, targeting users who are frustrated by the weeks of Linux, Gazebo, and configuration work typically required to begin robotics development. Named customers include Sarcomere Dynamics, inMotion Robotic, Production Park, Fictionlab, and the University of Nottingham.
BOW monetizes through platform subscriptions (SaaS, with a free trial entry point) and through OEM / embedded licensing arrangements with hardware manufacturers. Go-to-market is dual-track: a self-serve PLG funnel for developers and researchers, paired with a direct enterprise sales motion and an OEM partnership channel for hardware partners. The company is privately held, governed by Chair Liz Upton, and is in early commercial scale-up following its 2025 seed financing.
BOW firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BOW
- Legal name
- OLO Robotics Ltd
- Website
- https://usebow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BOW (trading as OLO Robotics) is a Sheffield-based developer of a universal, browser-based robotics software platform that lets developers program robots across OEMs using familiar languages and tools. It serves robot hardware manufacturers, individual developers, and academic research teams via a freemium SaaS and OEM licensing model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BOW industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Robotics Development Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Robotics Learning Platforms (EDAFANAB)
Keywords
Where BOW is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Daresbury
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BOW business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Platform Subscription: SaaS-based robotics development platform accessible via browser, with free trial available. The company generates revenue through platform subscriptions for developers, researchers, and robot OEMs who need robotics development tooling.
- OEM/Embedded Licensing: Working with robotic hardware manufacturers and OEMs to create portable robotics applications. Revenue likely includes licensing fees or revenue sharing arrangements with hardware OEM partners who embed the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Trial Available |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
BOW product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BOW sells a universal, browser-based robotics software platform (branded OLO) that lets developers program different robots using the operating system and language of their choice, combining simulation, visualization, robot control, and scripting in a single web environment. The platform is complemented by the OLO Appliance, an edge computing device that runs AI-powered computer vision on robot camera feeds.
Product overview
BOW is a robotics software company developing a universal robotics software platform. According to news sources, BOW's platform enables developers to program different robots with the operating system and programming language of their choice, working with robotic hardware manufacturers and OEMs. The company recently raised £4 million in seed funding. Separate source material (OLO Robotics website) describes a platform product with browser-based simulation, visualization, control, and scripting capabilities, along with an edge hardware appliance for AI-powered computer vision processing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OLO Platform: Browser-based robotics development platform with simulation, visualization, control, and scripting capabilities
Products and services
- OLO Platform (BOW Universal Robotics Software Platform) Browser-based robotics development platform that combines simulation, visualization, robot control, and scripting in a single web environment, with native ROS2 access, JavaScript and Python SDKs, an AI-accelerated coding assistant, low-latency teleoperation, Nav2 autonomous navigation, joint control, and ROSBag recording. Targets robotics developers, research teams, and robot hardware OEMs.
- OLO Appliance
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces robotics development setup from weeks to seconds (start coding in 30 minutes with no installation required)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BOW
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BOW technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature11 records
BOW partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Robot Hardware Manufacturers and OEMscoreBOW/OLO works with robotic hardware manufacturers and OEMs to create portable robotics applications. The platform enables these partners to provide their customers with an integrated development environment, allowing partners to focus on hardware while OLO handles the platform software.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BOW competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foxglove: Foxglove provides a browser-based robotics visualization and development workspace, directly competing with OLO on the same 'open a tab, start building' developer experience for ROS-based robotics teams.
- Cogniteam: Cogniteam offers a cloud-based robotics development platform with simulation and orchestration that competes for the same developer-OEM segment OLO targets, particularly in academic and commercial robotics.
- Standard Bots: Standard Bots provides a no-code/low-code robot programming platform aimed at simplifying robot deployment, competing with OLO's ease-of-use positioning for developers and SMEs building robotics applications.
- InOrbit: InOrbit (InOrbit.AI) provides a cloud-based robot operations and observability platform with developer tooling, overlapping with OLO's platform vision for managing fleets and robot software lifecycles.
Broad incumbents
- NVIDIA (Isaac Sim / Isaac Lab): NVIDIA Isaac is a broad, well-capitalized robotics simulation and AI platform with cloud-hosted tooling. It competes with OLO on simulation and AI-assisted robotics development, but as part of NVIDIA's much wider robotics and AI portfolio.
- AWS RoboMaker: AWS RoboMaker provides cloud-based robotics simulation, development, and deployment services within the AWS ecosystem, competing for the same cloud-hosted robotics developer segment as OLO but as part of AWS's broader cloud portfolio.
- MathWorks (MATLAB/Simulink): MathWorks provides MATLAB and Simulink, widely used for robotics modeling, simulation, and code generation. It competes for academic and industrial robotics developers, though it lacks OLO's browser-native, ROS2-centric UX.
Emerging players
- PickNik Robotics (MoveIt): PickNik Robotics develops MoveIt, the leading open-source ROS/ROS2 motion planning framework, and offers commercial tooling around it. It overlaps with OLO's robotics middleware positioning but focuses on motion planning rather than full development platform.
- Rerun: Rerun offers a multimodal data visualization and debugging toolchain used in robotics and embodied AI, partially overlapping with OLO's visualization and ROSBag recording features.
Others
- Open Robotics (ROS): Open Robotics stewards the ROS and ROS2 ecosystems that OLO builds on top of. While not a direct commercial competitor, its roadmap and any hosted tooling offerings directly shape OLO's product boundaries and competitive moat.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BOW social profiles
Digital presenceBOW financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BOW leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BOW funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BOW M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BOW
What does BOW do?
BOW sells a universal, browser-based robotics software platform (branded OLO) that lets developers program different robots using the operating system and language of their choice, combining simulation, visualization, robot control, and scripting in a single web environment. The platform is complemented by the OLO Appliance, an edge computing device that runs AI-powered computer vision on robot camera feeds.
Is BOW a public or private company?
BOW is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was BOW founded?
BOW was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BOW based?
BOW is headquartered in Daresbury, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BOW make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are OEM/Embedded Licensing.
Who are BOW's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foxglove, Cogniteam, Standard Bots and InOrbit. Broad incumbents are NVIDIA (Isaac Sim / Isaac Lab), AWS RoboMaker and MathWorks (MATLAB/Simulink). Emerging players are PickNik Robotics (MoveIt) and Rerun. Open Robotics (ROS) is listed as an others.
Does BOW have an API?
No public API is recorded for BOW.
What industry is BOW in?
BOW's product category is Robotics Development Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAK, Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins), with a secondary code of EDAFANAB, Robotics Learning Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.